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Recognizing signs of dementia - Penn State Hershey Medical Center

Recognizing signs of dementia - Penn State Hershey Medical Center

If you have elderly parents or relatives that you don't see on a regular basis, the holidays are a good time to evaluate if they have memory loss issues. Memory loss often starts out slow and progresses over the course of time. If you're visiting with loved ones over the holidays, pay attention to their reasoning and communication skills. Probably the most important thing that families can do is to recognize that confusion can be worsened by agitation and high emotionality. A relative who hasn't seen Mom or Dad for a long period of time may notice that there's something wrong with their behavior, or their thinking. And if that's the case they probably need to take it to their doctor and have some formal testing done. Researchers believe that half of people over eighty have some form of dementia.